Brighton & Hove Albion's Joao Pedro
Brighton & Hove Albion's Joao Pedro
Brighton and Hove Albion are open to selling Joao Pedro this summer as Newcastle United pursue the Brazilian for second time in three years.
The South Coast outfit are the masters of making ludicrous amounts of profit for young, exciting talent and could be about to double their money on Pedro, 23, who joined from Watford in a £30m deal back in 2023. In recent years, Brighton have raked in decent sums for the likes of Moises Caicedo, Alexis MacAllister, Robert Sanchez, Marc Cucurella, Leandro Trossard and Yves Bissouma.
As such, the club posted a profit of £73.9m for the latest financial period, following on from the £122.8m profit made in the previous season. Brighton's model is a proven one, with great trust placed in the Amex Stadium scouting department to unearth potential gems such as the aforementioned list of former Brighton stars.
“We’ve all been impressed with Brighton over many years because of their build, their model," rival manager David Moyes said back in 2023.
Their recruitment team have been hard at work already this summer, identifying £34m-rated striker Charalampos Kostoulas from Olympiacos as a summer target. The striker is seen as a potential replacement for Pedro this summer.
Despite Brighton's internal belief they can lose the Newcastle target this summer, manager Fabian Hurzeler has continued to back the forward at every turn. Pedro missed his side's last two Premier League matches of the most recent campaign due to a training ground altercation but the Seagulls' boss refused to throw him under the bus.
Meanwhile, giving an end of season interview to Brighton-based outlet, The Argus, Hurzeler said: "I am not hiding from making tough decisions. I am not hiding from having courage in my decisions."
A fee of £60m-plus will see Newcastle's summer budget significantly drained, with the north east outfit ideally hoping to strengthen in four areas. Two attackers will be pursued, along with a central defender and a new goalkeeping addition.
Pedro ticks many boxes, however, with the ability to play in multiple positions and an impressive record in front of goal at the highest level. His age profile is ideal for Newcastle, while there is a belief Eddie Howe could bring about further improvement in the forward.
Meanwhile, Newcastle are also keen on Anthony Elanga of Nottingham Forest after reviving their interest in the Swedish international earlier this summer.
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